Bitcoin May Face Two Fork Events in 2026, Including eCash Hard Fork Plan

Bitcoin is expected to face two fork-related events in 2026, including a planned hard fork called eCash and a separate soft fork proposal that could risk an unintended chain split. According to Odaily, developer Paul Sztorc plans to launch an intentional hard fork named eCash, which is expected to activate around August 21 at block height 964,000. Odaily also reported that the controversial soft fork proposal BIP-110 could, during its August signaling window, unexpectedly lead to a chain split. A Bitcoin chain split would duplicate the UTXO set, meaning holders would have assets on both ledgers at a 1:1 ratio. Whether forked coins remain usable depends on factors including replay protection, mining difficulty, and the market. For self-custody holders, controlling private keys at the snapshot typically allows them to sign transactions on either chain. For custodial holdings, exchanges control the private keys at the snapshot, and whether users receive forked coins depends on each platform’s policy.